1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic head slider locking apparatus for detachably mounting to a magnetic head suspension a magnetic head slider, which reads and/or writes data from and to a recording medium such as a hard disk drive.
2. Related Art
It is preferable to conduct performance tests on reading properties and/or writing properties as well as levitation properties of a magnetic head slider for reading and/or writing data in accordance with a state of use of the magnetic head slider, that is, in a state where the magnetic head slider is mounted to a magnetic head suspension having a configuration identical with that of a magnetic head suspension to which the magnetic head slider should be mounted.
More specifically, an ordinary magnetic head suspension includes a supporting part that is connected directly or indirectly to an actuator such as a voice coil motor, a load bending part that is connected to the supporting part and generates a load to press a magnetic head slider toward a disk surface, a load beam part that is connected to the load bending part so as to transmit the load to the magnetic head slider, and a flexure part that has a head mount region to which the magnetic head slider is mounted and is supported by the load beam part and the supporting part.
Accordingly, in order to conduct performance tests of the magnetic head suspension in a state corresponding to the used condition thereof, it is necessary to conduct the performance tests in a state where the magnetic head slider is fixed to the head mount region by welding or the like.
However, upon conducting the performance tests in the state where the magnetic head slider is fixed to the head mount region, if the results of the tests on the magnetic head slider are defective, it is necessary to discard not only the magnetic head slider but also the magnetic head suspension to which the magnetic head slider has been fixed, resulting in an increase in cost.
In view of the above, there have been proposed slider support devices for performance tests, which are capable of detachably retaining the magnetic head slider in accordance with a state of use thereof (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-245571, hereinafter referred to as prior art document 1).
The slider support device is provided with, in place of the flexure part of the ordinary magnetic head suspension, a flexure part to which the magnetic head slider is detachably mounted.
More specifically, in the slider support device that is disclosed as an example in the prior art document 1, the flexure part has paired outriggers (arm regions) extending toward a distal side from both ends in a suspension width direction of a region that is overlapped with and connected to the load beam part, a distal-side connection region extending in the suspension width direction so as to connect distal ends of the paired outriggers, a head mount region extending from a center in the suspension width direction of the distal-side connection region toward a proximal side in a suspension longitudinal direction, paired right and left longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions extending from the distal-side connection region toward the proximal end side in the suspension longitudinal direction so as to be arranged on both sides in the suspension width direction of the head mount region, and a proximal-side connection region extending in the suspension width direction so as to connect proximal ends of the paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions.
The distal-side connection region is provided with a connecting terminal for signal transfer that is engaged with a distal-side end surface of the magnetic head suspension and is electrically connected to the magnetic head suspension. The connecting terminal prevents the magnetic head slider mounted on the head mount region from being shifted toward the distal side in the suspension longitudinal direction.
The paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions are capable of expanding and contracting in the suspension longitudinal direction to generate a biasing force for pressing the proximal-side connection region toward a proximal-side end surface of the magnetic head suspension so that the magnetic head suspension is sandwiched by the connecting terminal and the proximal-side connection region in the suspension longitudinal direction.
The slider support device disclosed in the prior art document 1 is configured to retain the magnetic head slider on the head mount region with use of the elastic forces of the paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions, without adopting substantially inseparable fixing means such as welding or adhesive joining.
The slider support device is useful in realizing the performance tests of the magnetic head slider in accordance with the state of use thereof, as well as enabling only the defective magnetic head slider to be discarded.
On the other hand, the slider support device has the following problems.
More specifically, the slider support device disclosed in the pair art document 1 generates the biasing force for sandwiching the magnetic head suspension in the suspension longitudinal direction by means of the paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions, each of which includes convex portions and concave portions arranged alternately to each other in the suspension longitudinal direction.
In order to secure the elastic force sufficiently enough to retaining the magnetic head suspension with respect to the suspension longitudinal direction by such the accordion-like spring portions, it is necessary to provide each of the paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions with a substantial number of sets of the convex portion and the concave portion.
In view of the above, in the slider support device disclosed in the prior art document 1, each of the paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions includes three sets of the convex portion and the concave portion.
This requires high processing accuracy in forming the paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions, which results in a remarkable increase in cost.
Moreover, apexes of the convex portions and the concave portions are locally and elastically deformed upon expansion and contraction of the paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions. Therefore, the conventional configuration that secures the biasing force in the suspension longitudinal direction by means of the paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions also has a problem on durability thereof.
Furthermore, in the slider support device disclosed in the prior art document 1, the proximal-side connection region includes a slider engagement portion and paired right and left jig engagement portions arranged on both sides of the slider engagement portion in the suspension width direction. The paired right and left movable jigs are engaged with the paired jig engagement portions and then moved toward the proximal side in the suspension longitudinal direction, whereby the paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions are expanded.
In the configuration, an expanding amount of the paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions in the suspension longitudinal direction and a moving amount of the slider engagement portion in the suspension longitudinal direction become equal to each other. That is, in the conventional configuration, it is necessary to elastically expand the paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions in the suspension longitudinal direction by X mm in order to move the slider engagement portion in the suspension longitudinal direction by X mm.
It requires a large operation force in mounting and detaching the magnetic head suspension, which results in worsen workability in mounting and detaching the magnetic head suspension.
The prior art document 1 also discloses, as a modified example, a slider support device in which the proximal-side connection region is provided with a width direction accordion-like spring portion that is inserted therein in a state capable of expanding and contracting in the suspension width direction.
The slider support device is useful in improving stabilization of support of the magnetic head slider since the magnetic head slider is sandwiched in the suspension longitudinal direction by the biasing force of the paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions and is also sandwiched in the suspension width direction by the biasing force of the width direction accordion-like spring portion.
However, just like the conventional configuration, the modified example also has the problems of involving a remarkable increase in cost due to existence of the paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions and worsening durability due to local elastic deformation of the paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions.
Furthermore, the modified example has the same problem as the conventional configuration, with respect to workability in mounting and detaching the magnetic head suspension.
More specifically, in the modified example, a movable jig (hereinafter referred to as first movable jig), which is engaged with a jig engagement portion arranged on a first side of the proximal-side connection region in the suspension width direction, is moved in a direction (hereinafter referred to as first oblique direction) that is toward the proximal side in the suspension longitudinal direction and the first side in the suspension width direction, and another movable jig (hereinafter referred to as second movable jig), which is engaged with a jig engagement portion arranged on a second side of the proximal-side connection region in the suspension width direction, is moved in a direction (hereinafter referred to as second oblique direction) that is toward the proximal side in the suspension longitudinal direction and the second side in the suspension width direction, whereby the paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions can be expanded in the suspension longitudinal direction and, at the same time, the width direction accordion-like spring portion can be expanded in the suspension width direction.
That is, the paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions are expanded in the suspension longitudinal direction by an amount corresponding to a component along the suspension longitudinal direction out of a movement amount of the first and second movable jigs, and the width direction accordion-like spring portion is expanded in the suspension width direction by an amount corresponding to a component along the suspension width direction out of the movement amount.
In this case, the slider engagement portion is moved in the suspension longitudinal direction by an expanded amount of the paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions in the suspension longitudinal direction.
As described above, the modified example is common to the conventional configuration in that the paired longitudinal direction accordion-like spring portions have to be expanded in the suspension longitudinal direction by X mm in order to move the slider engagement portion in the suspension longitudinal direction by X mm.